The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-08
THE FEVER AT HAVANA.

The subjoined letter from DR.. ID. nj. Bur-
CESS, United States Sanitary Inspector at
Havana, Cuba, to DIR. J. p. Wall, President
of the Board of Health at Tampa, Fla, will
be perused with general interest:
HAVANA, June /, 1887.
Dr. T. P. Wan, Port PhYsicfar, etc, Tampa
Fla:
Your letter of Nav 40 is received but too late
TO answer by the Ollvette of to-day, which has
already sailed. The enclosed letter from the
President of the Board Of Health of louisiana
is also received. You may rest assured that
everything has been and viii be done here which
your quarantine regulations demand and even
more Not one person since your quarantine
commenced on May 10, has been given certi-
ficate of acclimation who was not known 20 be
protected from yellow fever and smallpox. AS
for the baggage, that has invariably come from
healthy localities in this city, or from some
place outside understood TO as healthy as Ma
tanZas, Cardena, etc This very trip of the
olivette she has taken from here only eight
passengers for Tampa, one the American Con
sui from MatanLas, acclimated, a family con-
sisting of six persons, all natives of Matanzas
but the father, and he has lived on the island
for twenty eight years The other passenger is
a priest from here and he was living In fine,
healthy house in the city. All that baggage
was put in the hold and fumgated though
previously unexceptionable AS you suggest
act and always have on basis of moral GER
tainty, and as now you think the lower classes
better not have certificates, / will give none to
them,
agree with you that the fumigation Of trunks
and contents t0hen closed is not very powerful
preventative, but | have been very careful TO
know where that baggage came from which is
a thing of consequence. A first-class passen-
gers do not generally get aboard until the UerH
last moment before the departure of a vessel, |
have really no time OF opportunity for opening
their trunks and fumigating that unless time
should be given me.
HOW WOULD IT DO
for you to fumigate that baggage at your quar-
antineY You could do It efficiently in two hours,
and perhaps it would satisfy your people better.
You ask me for my opinion as TO the advisa-
bility OF keeping open Communication, and il |
think it can be carried out with safety. Situated
rs = am here, and knowing everybody and every.
thing that goes, ! have felt that up TO the
The fact is that three-fourths of all the cases,
and even more, Of yellow fever which have
occurred here this season have been among
recently arrived troops from Spain, who have
been quartered in the dirty infected Notifications
of the island and in the military hospital.
OUT OF EIdHTY-Two DEATHS
from yellow fever here during the month Of
May at least sixty of them have been among
the army and navy. The merchant vessels in
the harbor are entirely exempt from the disease
so far
It is to be greatly regretted that yellow fever
should have occurred in Key West, for that
being In the territory OF the United States It
scares the public there awfully, I am well
aware II also gives any disposed to frighten
something TO harp upon.
am morally certain that the line is not u, The
least at fault In consequence OF that accident,
but that those cases of yellow fever were caused
by lot of old hotel furniture pillows, mat
tresses, etc, which were carried over from here
during the winter. The hotel (Bolio's) where
that furniture had been used here had had vel
low fever In it time and time again to my por.
sopal knowledge, as well as to that of several
physicians here who have told me so.
THAT STUFF WAS STORED
in Key West as well as here, In Just such way
as to preserve the germs or cause Of disease God
only knows how long ! feel that Florida the
mainland Is safe so far EXCEPT those Arabs who
went over before your quarantine commenced,
and for which neither you nor l can be held &C
countable. Moreover they did not go on one of
Plants steamers.
For awhile now, as you suggest Will give no
certificates TO Tampa to people who are not
going further North certainly than Charleston.
Indeed, scarcely anyone since May 10th has
gone TO any Southern city except Tampa
scarcely remember one for New Orleans, Mobile,
etc.
The President Of the Board Of Health of
Louisiana In some instances has exaggerated in
his letter and rather conveys somewhat of mis-
representation In Il. Do you not think soS
improve the opportunity Of closing this long,
dull letter by assuring that everything can do
here in the line of my duty as your agent and
sanitary inspector viii be DONE and that thor
and believe me, most cordially yours,
D. NJ. BURGESS.
ENCOURAGING REPORTS.
KEY WEST June There has been one
new case Of yellow fever since yesterday and
no deaths.
WHAT CUBAN DOCTORS SAY.
Dr.. Mereno and other Cuban physicians
here deny positively the prevalence of yel-
low fever, and assert that the disease is
merely an acclimating fever Of a peculiarly
fatal type, unless properly treated.